Beschreibung:

DescriptionA pair of inscribed archaic bronze ritual food vessels, Ding,Early Western Zhou dynasty西周初 青銅鳥形扁足公伯鼎一對
inscribed with a six-character inscription; with 6 X-rays
h. 20 cm, w. 17 cmCondition reportBoth Ding are in good overall condition. Typical encrustation and general wear to the surface, consistent with age and type. Occasional minor dents. X-ray reveals there are no visible breaks or repairs. X-Ray images are available upon request.
整體品相良好。帶典型結殼及器面磨損，與年代及品類相符。偶見小磕。經X光檢測，沒明顯裂縫或修復。X光影像可供索取。
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceHartman Rare Art, New York.
來源：Hartman Rare Art，紐約Catalogue noteNotable for its bowl-like body and three blade-like zoomorphic legs, the present lot represents an unusual group of ding. Inspired by pottery prototypes made in the Neolithic period, bronze versions of this unique form first appeared during the Erligang phase and continued to be produced through to the Shang and Western Zhou dynasty. Ding of this particular form were usually cast with legs in the form of stylised dragons. Tiger, fish and bird-shaped legs, such as the present lot, were also known, though they were rarer and generally were period-specific. 
The shallow flat bottom bowl and the tall bird-shaped legs of the present example suggest a date in the early Western Zhou dynasty. Excavation findings reveal that ding of this type cast with striking stylised bird-legs appear to have only been made during the second phase of Yinxu culture and during the early-mid Western Zhou dynasty. The abstract rendering of the birds with eyes and wings cast in relief places the present lot in the early Western Zhou dynasty. A similar early Western Zhou inscribed example (excavation number M209:28) was unearthed at the Liulihe site, the capital of the Yan state in the Western Zhou period, and illustrated in Liulihe Xizhou Yanguo Mudi 1973–1977 [Yan State Cemetery of the Western Zhou Period at Liulihe 1973–1977], Beijing, 1995, pl. 77. Similar examples are also preserved in the Beijing Palace Museum (illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl. 86) and in the Taipei Palace Museum (accession number: 中銅001514N000000000). 
Compare also a similar bird-feet ding bearing the same six-character inscription, illustrated in Wu Zhenfeng, Shangzhou Qingtongqi Mingwen ji Tuxiang Jicheng [Compendium of Inscriptions and Images of Bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties], vol. 3, Shanghai, 2012, pl. 01591.
此類青銅鼎鼓腹、扁足，形制獨特，為青銅禮器中罕見的器類。其造形可溯自新石器時期扁足陶器，於二里崗時期初現青銅作例，並一直沿作至商周時期，於商代及西周早期盛極一時，西周中晚期開始衰落。此類鼎足常以夔龍足為主要樣式，虎形、魚形及如本品的鳥形足實為少見，甚具時代特徵。
本對青銅「公伯」鼎淺腹、微鼓，圜底近平，扁足綴鳥紋，鳥頭突目、勾喙，紋飾勁拔有力，應造於西周早期。據存世鑄器考之，鳥形扁足鼎見於殷墟二期及西周早中期。本品鳥形紋飾與西周早期傳世器類同，可參考琉璃河燕國墓地出土一相類例（編號：M209:28），載於《琉璃河西周燕國墓地（1973-1979）》，北京，1995年，圖版77。形制相類者亦見於兩岸故宮，一載於《故宮藏青銅器》，北京故宮博物院，北京，1999年，圖版86；另一貯台北故宮博物院，館藏編號：中銅001514N000000000。
再參考一相類青銅鳥形扁足「公伯」鼎，內壁鑄與本品相同之六字銘文，刊錄於吳鎮烽，《商周青銅器銘文暨圖像集成》，卷3，上海，2012年，圖版01591。